Accidental Friends
by Shouhei
Summary: Trory. Rory is having a hard time adjusting to life at Chilton. An accident changes everything and opens the door to a whole new friendship.
1. One Terrible Day

**Chapter 1:** One Terrible Day

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gilmore Girls, or any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them.

**A/N: **This story takes place in season 1, before Rory's birthday party. She has met Dean, but nothing is really going on at this point.

Rory Gilmore sat in the library at Chilton pouring over her books. Midterms were in two weeks and she was still had tons of studying ahead of her. Chilton was so different from Stars Hollow High School. She never had to work very hard to be the best at SHHS. She was a shoo-in for valedictorian, and she had tons of friends. She ate lunch with Lane, everyday, and she knew all her teachers. No one at the school hated her.

Chilton was different. Chilton was hard. Somehow, the teachers seemed less caring and more formal with their students. The worst part about it was the other kids. They all hated her, and she had no idea why. How could they hate her? They didn't even know her. She had only been there for a couple of months, but everyone called her, "Mary." What was wrong with looking like a virgin? What was wrong with being a virgin? She was only 15 for crying out loud. Paris Gellar was the worst. She obviously felt threatened by Rory, but Rory had no idea why. She was behind and was probably never going to catch up.

Things between her mom and her grandparents weren't great. Every Friday night dinner ended in turmoil. Rory got a stomach ache every time she they pulled up to the house. She loved her grandparents, but she couldn't help but feel like she ruined everything just by her birth. Rory felt unwanted at school and at Friday night dinner. She knew her grandparents loved her, but it was obvious that they wished her mom had never gotten pregnant. How could she not feel just a little bit responsible for causing the falling out between her family members?

The bell rang, signaling the end of study hall, and Rory sighed as she loaded her books into her backpack. The bell rang just as she slipped into the locker room to change for gym class. She hated stripping down to her bra and panties for gym class. She was very modest, and really did not like being on display. She quickly slipped her gym uniform on and hustled out for volleyball.

Rory was hit in the face three times with the volleyball during one gym class. That had to be some kind of a record. Gym sucked. Chilton sucked. She laced up her saddles shoes and straightened her skirt just as the final bell rung. Thank goodness this day was over. Rory grabbed her backpack and headed outside for the bus stop. On the way, Paris shot daggers at her with a nasty look. Madeleine and Louise just utterly ignored her, which was a welcome relief. At least she didn't have to hear any biting remarks.

Rory was walking through the parking lot when she heard squealing tires. Rory turned and saw a black Mercedes Benz heading straight for her. She didn't have time to get out of the way before the car hit her. She was knocked backwards and slid across the pavement. The driver got out of the car and ran to her aid.

"Mary! I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

Rory opened her eyes and saw a very attractive blonde-headed boy kneeling above her. Of course it was Tristan DuGrey that hit her. Could this miserable day get any worse? Other than some bumps and bruises, Rory felt fine. She could move her arms and legs and she hadn't hit her head very hard. Tristan must have slowed down enough before he ploughed into her. Great. Now she wouldn't even have a good excuse to miss school, even though she was hit by a car.

"The name is Rory," she grumbled as she stood up.

"Lay back down," Mr. Medina said as he came up to them. "I called 911 and an ambulance is coming to get you."

"Why? I'm fine!" Rory retorted and stood up despite her teacher's instruction.

"See. I'm fine. This moron must have hit his breaks in time."

"You're calling me a moron?!" Tristan said, angrily. "You're the one that stepped into the parking lot without looking."

"I'm a pedestrian, so I automatically have the right of way," Rory said. "You were probably too busy fixing your hair to notice someone walking in front of you."

Mr. Medina was about to say something when the ambulance appeared on the scene. Rory was humiliated when she realized that everyone was staring at her. Mr. Medina insisted that she let the paramedics take a look at her. She assured them that she was fine, and the paramedics took a look at her and recommended that they take her to the hospital just to make sure that she was okay.

"That's really not necessary. I'm fine."

"Yes, but sometimes head injuries take hours for the symptoms to show up."

Rory couldn't argue with that, and she knew Lorelai would insist upon taking her to the hospital if she knew about it. Sighing, Rory relented, and allowed them to put a neck brace on her and load her into the ambulance. This was ridiculous. As the paramedics were about to shut the doors, Tristan asked if he could go with her to make sure she was okay.

"Sure, you can ride along, but don't touch anything."

Before Rory could protest, Tristan was climbing into the back of the rig. This was the worst day, ever.

"Can I at least sit up?" She asked.

The paramedic raised the gurney up and started hooking her up to monitors.

"Well, since you're here, can you hand me my history book," Rory asked Tristan.

"Really? You got hit by a car and you want to study?" Tristan asked.

"Yes, really. I was planning on studying for midterms on the bus, but because of your irresponsible driving I am now going to be spending my Thursday night in the hospital. Midterms are next week and I have a ton of studying to do. So if you don't mind, Please hand me my history book."

Tristan acquiesced to her request, and Rory opened the book. The neck brace made it difficult to read, but not impossible. Besides, as long as she had the book up she could ignore Tristan, completely. He obviously didn't get the hint.

"I am sorry that I hit you. I really didn't see you, Mary."

That was it. Rory had had it. He had the gall to call her, Mary. After hitting her with his car! The nerve of this arrogant, self-centered, douche bag!

"MY NAME IS RORY!"

"Stop calling me Mary. Why do you try to purposely annoy me, Tristan? What have I done to deserve that? Please help me to understand why you and everyone else at this school hate me so much."

Rory could feel the tears bubbling up to the surface, but she refused to let Tristan see her cry. He didn't deserve her tears. Besides, her tears really didn't have all that much to do with him. He was just the cherry on top of this incredibly awful ice cream sundae of a day.

"I don't hate you, Rory," Tristan said, seriously. "Is that what you think?"

"Yes. Why else would you call me by that horrible nickname?"

"I call you Mary because you seem so sweet and innocent. It's actually kind of nice to find a girl that's like you. Rory, you are rare. I'm intrigued by you. I gave you that nickname because you're special."

"Yeah right. You're just saying this because you hit me with your car."

Tristan tried to hide a smile, but Rory could see humor in his blue eyes. For the first time, she realized that Tristan might not be so bad. He was actually being pretty sweet right now. Sure he could be a bit of an ass, but maybe they could actually be friends. It would be nice to have a friend at Chilton... even if it was Tristan.

"Okay DuGrey, how about we make a deal," Rory said.

"What deal?" he asked, raising one eyebrow.

"If you promise to stop being a jerk to me, then I guess I'll let you off the hook for hitting me with your car."

"Hmmm… that seems like a fair trade," Tristan said with a smirk.

"Maybe we could try being friends?" Rory asked, hopefully.

"Friends, huh? I've never been just friends with a girl before."

"Well I've never really been friends with a guy before, either, so it would be a first for both of us," Rory admitted.

"What the hell? Okay Gilmore, friends it is. So what will we do, first, braid each other's hair and make friendship bracelets?"

"Is that what you think girls do?" Rory laughed.

"Well then how about we shoot some hoops and talk about all the girls we've hooked up with," Rory blurted out.

"Why Rory Gilmore, are you telling me that you hook up with girls? No wonder you only want to be my friend," Tristan teased.

Rory turned scarlet and retorted, "That's not what I meant and you know it. And is that being nice? I seem to remember that one time when you hit me with your car! Oh wait… that's right now!"

"Okay, okay! I'll play nice," Tristan said.

The paramedic snickered at the two of them and Tristan shot him a look.

"Do you mind? We're trying to have a private conversation, here," Tristan said.

The paramedic shook his head at the teenagers. At that moment, the ambulance pulled up to the hospital. Rory realized as Tristan grabbed her history book that she hadn't gotten any studying done, but at least she had made a friend…. Or so she hoped.

Lorelai Gilmore burst through the doors of the hospital demanding in a very Emily Gilmore kind of way where her daughter was. The nurse calmly showed her to the curtained off area where Rory was sitting.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Rory asked.

"What do you mean what am I doing here?" Lorelai said in a panicky voice.

"Your teacher called me and said that you were hit by a car!"

Rory sighed, "I'm fine, mom. I was just about to call you. I literally just have a few scrapes and bruises. The car was almost stopped when it hit me, so no harm done."

"No harm done?! What do you mean no harm done!? You… were…. HIT… BY… A… CAR!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"An almost stopped car. It was like running into a parked car. That is literally what it felt like, Mom. I'm completely fine."

"If you are completely fine, then why are you in the hospital?"

"Mr. Medina made me go. I didn't want to, but he insisted in case I had a head injury," Rory calmly explained.

"A head injury?! You hit your head?"

"Just barely. I'm fine. I just had a CAT scan to make extra sure that I'm okay."

"Well why didn't you call me?"

"I couldn't. As soon as we got here they took me to get a CAT scan. That's the nice thing about going in an ambulance… no waiting time."

"Oh my poor baby. You must have been so scared!"

"Actually, I was more annoyed than scared," Rory said with a laugh.

Just then, Lorelai caught motion out of the corner of her eye. She saw an extremely attractive young man shifting his position in a chair. Warning bells went up as she surveyed the cocky attitude that practically dripped off this young man.

"Who are you?" Lorelai asked him.

"My name is Tristan DuGrey. I go to school with Mar… I mean Rory."

Lorelai narrowed her eyes and tried to place where she had heard that name. It sounded so familiar. Suddenly it dawned on her. Tristan almost called her Mary. This was the punk that had been making Rory's life at Chilton so hard.

"Wait a second, you're Bible Boy!" Lorelai exclaimed.

"Bible boy?" Tristan asked.

"Yes. You call her Mary don't you? The virgin Mary is a Biblical reference… hence the nickname Bible boy."

Rory groaned as her mother prattled on. She loved her mother. Adored her, but sometimes she needed to say less to certain people. Luckily, Tristan thought the nickname was amusing, and it blew over, quickly.

"So why are you here? Just being a good Samaritan, Bible boy?" Lorelai asked.

Tristan laughed, and replied, "Actually, I'm the one that hit Rory, and I came with her to make sure that she was okay."

"You hit her?!" Lorelai yelled in her best mama grizzly voice.

"Mom, it was an accident. I wasn't looking where I was going. He hit the brakes and stayed with me to make sure I was okay. I am okay, so everything's fine. Plus, we've decided to bury the hatchet and actually be friends. Weird. Normally hitting someone with your car would make the opposite happen," Rory babbled, hoping to calm her mother down.

Before Lorelai could say anything, the doctor came in and cleared Rory. They couldn't find anything wrong with her, so he said that he would get their discharge papers and then they were free to go. Lorelai and Tristan stepped out of the curtained area to give Rory some privacy so that she could change her clothes. The two of them stared awkwardly at one another.

Lorelai didn't want to hurt Rory's chance at a friendship, but Tristan frightened her deep down. He reminded her of Christopher. He looked like a rich, rebellious, pretty boy. He had danger written across his forehead, but if she didn't accept him, then she would be no better than Emily Gilmore. Why couldn't Rory stay eleven? That was the perfect age. She loved nail polish and makeup, but didn't have any serious interest in boys. Now she was fifteen, and would be turning sixteen in a couple of months. Rory was the same age Lorelai was when she got pregnant. It was frightening. In her mind, Rory was still a little girl in so many ways. Lorelai wasn't ready for boys, but she knew it was inevitable.

Tristan fought the urge to squirm under Lorelai's scrutiny. He really did feel bad about the accident, and he was very intrigued by the offer of friendship made by Rory. He truly liked her, but she was not his type at all. He normally went after the easy cheerleader types. Rory was not that type at all. She was smart, funny, well-informed, and a bit odd at times. She fascinated him in a way no other girl ever had. Most girls played games, but Rory just said it like it was. Her innocence was enchanting. He doubted anyone had ever touched her… He stopped himself right there. Friends. That was all they were. He didn't need to be thinking about touching her when they were just friends.

Rory emerged from behind the curtain and was dressed in her school uniform with her yellow backpack pulling on her shoulders. She looked so cute with her long brown hair tucked behind her ear. She really did have the most perfect ears.

Rory saw Tristan staring at her and she smiled at him. After this horrible day, she was glad something good came out of it. She had a friend at Chilton. Maybe tomorrow wouldn't be so bad, after all.

"So, Bible boy, how were you planning on getting home, tonight?" Lorelai asked him.

"Oh yeah. My car is still at school. Do you mind dropping me off?"

"Wait. What time is it?" Rory asked.

"It's just after 6," Lorelai replied.

"Well we can't go back. Chilton locks the gate to the parking lot at 6 pm unless there is a meeting or extra-curricular activity going on."

"I guess we can drive you home," Lorelai suggested.

"You can, but there's no way I can get to school, tomorrow," Tristan explained.

"Can't your parents take you?"

"Uh, they're both out of town," he admitted. "I would take the bus, but the closest bus stop is miles from my house. Don't worry about me, though, I'll figure something out."

Lorelai felt a bit of pity for this boy. His parents were gone, and he would be all alone in that house. He had stayed with her daughter all afternoon when he could have left her. If this was any other of Rory's friends she would offer to let him stay with them and go with Rory to school, tomorrow. But he wasn't any of Rory's other friends. Still, it would be nice to get to know him, better. It's best to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. She hoped this boy wouldn't become an enemy, but the warning in her heart told a completely different story.

"Why don't we let you go pick some clothes up at your house and you can spend the night at our place," Lorelai suggested. "When do your parents get back?"

"Um, next week sometime," Tristan replied. "I'm not sure, when."

"Well, since tomorrow's Friday why don't you spend the whole weekend with us? If you're not busy, that is."

"No, I'm not busy. I'd love to stay for the weekend. Are you sure it won't be a bother?"

"No. We can just hang out. I just like to get to know Rory's friends. We can order pizza and rent movies. It'll be fun."

Tristan could not believe his luck. Rory's mom was inviting him for the weekend. He was so sick of the Chilton party scene that he relished a chance to do something different. Plus, he would get to see Rory in her world. He had so many questions about her, and he had a feeling that this trip would only increase his infatuation with the beautiful girl.

Rory could not believe the strange turn of events. Tristan was staying with them for the weekend. On one hand, she was happy to get to know Tristan, better, but on the other hand it was kind of embarrassing to have her mom ask him to stay over. Wait, this wasn't a date. Tristan wasn't her boyfriend. He was just her friend. It would be like her mom inviting Lane over. That wouldn't be weird at all, and Rory was determined that this wouldn't be weird, either.

"That sounds like fun. Okay I'm in! And by the way, I'm starving."

"Me too," Rory added. "Can we go to Luke's?"

"Of course, but Bible boy needs to hurry up and get his stuff. Let's get going. That cheeseburger is calling my name. It's saying Lorelai, Lorelai, please come and take a bite out of me. I've missed you so much. Then I'm going to tell Cheezy the cheeseburger that I've missed him, too. Just don't tell him that I've been cheating on him with Terry the Taco."

"Mom, you've got to pick one of them. You can't go stringing along Cheezy and Terry."

"I know, but it's so hard to pick just one. They're both so delicious."

"Honestly is the best policy."

"You're right. I'll have an honest conversation with Cheezy, tonight."

Tristan shook his head at this ridiculous conversation and wondered just what he had gotten himself into.

**A/N:** Well, what did you think? Please leave a review :)


	2. Getting To Know You

**Chapter 2:** Getting To Know You

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Gilmore Girls or any of the characters.

**A/N:** Thank you so much for reading and all the wonderful reviews. I've really missed writing fan fiction.

Tristan ran into his house and quickly packed a bag for the weekend. He invited Lorelai and Rory in, but they politely declined and were waiting for him in the car. As he gathered the things he needed, Tristan realized that he was nervous. He was not used to feeling uneasy, but Rory was a completely different girl than he was used to being around. He knew that she did not grow up in Hartford like all the other girls at Chilton. She didn't fly to Europe every summer, or spend her time shopping for designer clothes. Rory was down to earth and actually talked about real stuff. She wasn't one of the girls that wanted to go to an ivy league school to marry an ivy league guy and live a pampered life. Nope, his Mary had a passion for learning.

While Tristan was in the house packing, Lorelai hounded Rory with questions about Tristan. Rory tried to answer them, honestly, but she avoided the real reason she wanted Tristan's friendship. Rory Gilmore was lonely at Chilton. She was overwhelmed and completely stressed out. Sure, she tried to be her same chipper self at home, but she got a stomach ache every day before going to school. Every night, after Lorelai went to bed, Rory stayed up studying extra. She was running on fumes, but she just needed to make it to midterms. After midterms she would ease up a little bit. Unfortunately, Rory wasn't sure if she was going to make it to midterms. She was already exhausted and deep down she knew it was her fault that Tristan hit her. She was so busy adding items to her mental to-do list that she neglected to look for cars while crossing the street.

"So do you like him?" Lorelai asked.

She knew there was more to this than Rory was saying, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. Rory was being very careful with how she answered Lorelai's questions. Something wasn't right, and Lorelai had a feeling that Rory was attracted to this boy. Who wouldn't be?

"Do you mean like him, like him?"

"Well yeah. Do you like him, like him?" Lorelai asked.

"No, Mom. We're just friends. And we just became friends, today. I don't know him well enough to like him," Rory explained.

"But do you think he's cute? Even just a little bit?" Lorelai asked with a teasing smile.

"I guess he's moderately attractive, but like I said, I'm not interested. He's really not my type."

"Oh so you have a type, now, do you?" Lorelai teased, again.

Rory just rolled her eyes playfully and stuck her tongue out at Lorelai. At that moment, Tristan emerged from the house and climbed into the backseat.

"Thanks again for letting me stay, ma'am," Tristan said, politely.

"You are very welcome, but please call me Lorelai. I'm too young to be called ma'am."

"Okay Lorelai. Wait a second, isn't that your full name, Rory?" he asked.

"Yeah it is. How did you know that?"

"I remember the teacher called it out during roll call on your first day at Chilton. You corrected them and said you prefer to go by Rory."

"I can't believe you remember that," Rory replied with surprise.

"Well it's a very unique name. So why do you both have the same name."

Lorelai chose that moment to chime in with her very amusing story of being whacked out on Demerol and deciding to name Rory after herself. Tristan laughed and relaxed a little bit as they drove towards Stars Hollow. On the way, Lorelai asked him some questions about his parents. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to tell. He didn't really know his parents. His dad was extremely strict, but was hardly ever home. His mom was so caught up in the socialite scene that she didn't have time for him, either. His grandfather was pretty cool, but he was busy as well. He felt jealous when he saw the relationship that Rory and her mother shared. They were obviously very close. They finished each other's sentences, shared these ridiculous little bits, and liked the same obscure music.

"Okay Tristan, welcome to Stars Hollow," Lorelai said as they pulled into a very quaint little town.

Rory could not believe Tristan DuGrey was in her town, and he was going to be staying at her house! How weird was that. This had been such a weird day, but she was excited. This was her way in at Chilton. Maybe Tristan could get other people to try and get to know her. Life wouldn't be nearly so bad if she had at least a few people at school that didn't hate her. Her mom parked in front of Lukes and the three of them went inside.

"Kirk, I've told you before and I'm telling you again. You have to pay the full price of the sandwich, even if you don't want the tomatoes."

"But Luke, you're spending less money to make my sandwich, ergo it should cost less if I get it without tomatoes," Kirk replied.

"That's it. Get out."

"But Luke…"

"You heard me. Get out. Prices are not negotiable. Come back when you're ready to pay full price like a normal person."

"Fine, but you haven't heard the last of me!"

Kirk grabbed his jacket and left the diner in a huff. Tristan was very confused by the entire exchange, but Lorelai and Rory didn't seem perturbed by it, so he decided to let it go.

"Lukey! I need coffee!" Lorelai said rather loudly.

The trio found a table by the window, and Luke brought two mugs of coffee to the table. He wore a blue flannel shirt and a backwards baseball cap, as usual, but his mood was definitely worse than normal.

"Who's this?" He asked, gruffly.

"Tristan," Rory replied. He's a friend of mine from Chilton.

"Oh, well what do you want to drink?"

"Um, I'll have a coke," he replied.

Luke just grunted and retreated to the back to get his soda. Tristan looked around the quaint diner, and still couldn't believe that he was actually in Rory Gilmore's home town. It was an odd little place with strange people. In one corner, he saw two women talking in hushed voices and glancing over at their table. Suddenly, a tall stocky man with a grey beard entered the diner.

"What do you want, Taylor?" Luke asked with an annoyed look on his face.

"Well aren't we in a mood, today," Taylor replied.

"I am not decorating for the festival."

"But Luke, you are so close to the center of town, and you are the only business on the street that doesn't decorate for the fall festival."

"That's because it's insane," Luke said and set Tristan's coke in front of him.

"What is so insane about the fall festival?"

"It's an entire festival celebrating a season. Fall is not a holiday. What is there to celebrate?"

"Luke, the Fall Festival has been a yearly tradition in Stars Hollow since 1963."

"Just because people have been doing something for 40 years doesn't make it any less insane, Taylor. What do you want to eat?" Luke asked them.

"Burger and fries for me," Rory told him.

"Me too!" Lorelai said.

"Make that 3," Tristan replied.

Luke and Taylor continued to bicker about decorations while Rory and Lorelai snickered under their breath.

"Man I love this town," Lorelai replied.

"You can practically see the steam coming out of Luke's ears," Rory whispered with a laugh.

"So is this normal?" Tristan asked.

"Pretty much. Taylor loves all of our crazy traditions and it drives him nuts that Luke refuses to be a part of it," Rory informed him.

"Oh you have to come to the town meeting, tomorrow. It's better than going to the movies," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, we bring popcorn and watch the town try to agree on things. It's so funny, and there is always plenty of drama."

Tristan agreed that it sounded pretty entertaining, and he gave Rory a dazzling smile. He really was attractive, she noticed. He had lowered his guard a lot with her, today. She wondered how it would be at school on Monday. Would he talk to her? She really hoped so, but she didn't know how he would react when he was around people that he knew.

Luke brought their burgers and the three of them ate and chatted about school, movies, and music. Rory was surprised by how much of their interests overlapped. Tristan listened to The Clash, he loved to watch old James Bond movies, and he loved making fun of infomercials. Rory also found out that Tristan liked the water. He spent his summers surfing in California, and he loved going sailing.

"So how did you learn to sail?" Rory asked.

"My grandpa taught me when I was a kid. He actually bought me my own sailboat for my last birthday. I love to go out whenever the weather is nice. I would love to take you, sometime."

Rory grinned and replied, "Really? I would love that!"

Lorelai watched the two of them with mixed emotions. On the one hand, she was really glad Rory found a friend, but on the other hand, she felt like she was losing Rory to the world of boys. She was lucky it hadn't happened, sooner, but it still stung. She could feel the chemistry building between the two and knew this "just friends" thing was not going to last. Before long, he would be her boyfriend, and Lorelai didn't know how she felt about that. He seemed nice, but he was also part of the world Lorelai rejected. She never thought that Rory going to school there would mean she would become part of the world. Lorelai just wanted Rory to have a chance at going to Harvard. Lorelai resolved to put it out of her mind for the time being. There was no use worrying about something she had absolutely no control over.

"So what do you guys want to do, tonight?" Lorelai asked.

"Well, I thought I could give Tristan a tour of the town, and you could pick up some movies and junk food and we could meet at the house," Rory said. "Does that sound good to you, Tristan?"

"Sure, that's fine with me. I'm pretty flexible," Tristan said.

The young couple walked through the town square and Rory pointed out all the shops and told funny stories about the people who owned them. Rory looked lovely in the moonlight as they walked, and Tristan loved how animated she was when she told a story. This Rory was completely different from the Rory at Chilton. Here she was so relaxed and he loved seeing her smile. At Chilton she always looked so serious, but maybe she was just lonely. She didn't really have any friends there. He felt guilty for giving her a hard time when she first arrived.

"Oh this is the Independence Inn," Rory said. "This is where my mom works."

"Oh what does she do?"

"She is the manager. Do you want to see my favorite place in Stars Hollow?" she asked him.

"Yes, of course. Lead the way."

"Now, this is a huge test of our friendship," Rory said, getting serious. "Very few people know about what I am about to show you. And if I hear about this all over Chilton, I will be very upset."

"What, do you have a dead body buried behind the inn?" he asked her, sarcastically.

"Hey, buddy, don't you roll your eyes at me. If you're going to act like a jerk, then I'm not showing you."

"Fine. I, Tristan DuGrey, do solemnly swear to never reveal the secret that you, Rory Gilmore are going to reveal to me on this day."

"I know that you are still being a smartass, but I will show you, anyway."

Rory grabbed his hand without even thinking about what it might mean and drug him around to the back of the inn. He saw the tool shed and looked at her, confused.

"After I was born, my mom ran away from my grandparents' house. We wound up here, at the inn. Mia is the lady that owns the Independence Inn, and she found my mom on the front porch. My mom begged her for a job, and she let her start as a maid. She let us live here in the shed until my mom worked her way up and could afford to buy our house."

"You used to live here?" Tristan asked her.

"Yeah. Do you want to see it?"

"Okay," Tristan said.

"Mom put a curtain around the tub, and we put the bed over here. And I remember when she put up this wallpaper. I know it isn't much, but Mom made it a home. A home for us. When the inn would have parties, we would dance on the lawn. I used to pretend our house was a cottage in a magical land. I played in the grove of trees over there."

"Why is it your favorite place?" Tristan asked her.

"I don't know. I always felt so safe here. It was the first home that I actually remember. I grew up here. I used to read over here by the window. I used to climb this tree. I guess it's just filled with such wonderful memories."

"Thanks for bringing me here," Tristan told her. "Sorry I was being an ass before."

"It's okay. I figured since we were friends I should share something personal with you. Don't make me regret it."

"I won't. I'll take it with me to the grave, if that's what you want."

Rory sighed, "It's not that I'm ashamed that we used to live here, but I just don't need any more grief at Chilton.

"Yeah. You're really not happy there, are you?"

"No, not really. It's just a lot more work than I'm used to, and honestly no one has been very nice to me. I miss my old school, and my old friends, and all my old teachers. I liked Stars Hollow High. I grew up here and it was comfortable and familiar, but Stars Hollow is not going to get me to Harvard. Chilton is."

"Harvard. Really?"

"Yeah. I've always wanted to go there. Why? Where do you want to go?"

"I have no idea. I don't really care. I just can't wait to get out of here. Away from my parents and their drama."

"Well, we should probably head back. I'm sure my mom is wondering what happened to us."

The two walked in a comfortable silence back to the house. They watched Willy Wonka and ate junk food until Tristan thought he might puke from all the sugar. They had a great time and Tristan found himself feeling jealous of Rory. She had a relationship with her mom that he could not understand. He hardly ever saw his parents, and when he did, they were constantly criticizing him. It was ironic. Rory's childhood home was a freaking tool shed, but he was envious of her. Go figure.

~…..~

The next morning, Rory woke up in her bed, and she thought about the events of the day before. First, Tristan DuGrey hit her with his car and went with her to the hospital. Then, her mother invites Tristan to spend the weekend with them, and now he was asleep on her couch. If someone had told her a week ago that all this was going to happen, she would have told them they were insane. Rory was usually pretty low-maintenance in the morning, but she had never had a boy spend the night at her house before, either. Rory grabbed her favorite jeans and a cute top and snuck into the bathroom. She showered and brushed her teeth. Then, Rory quickly got dressed and blow-dried her hair. Rory didn't normally wear makeup, but she decided to put on a little bit of lip gloss and mascara. She looked in the mirror and decided she looked nice, but not like she was trying too hard. Satisfied, she went into the living room where Tristan was still fast asleep.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said loudly.

Tristan grumbled a response and threw a pillow at her.

"Hey! That wasn't nice. Get up, Tristan! I'm hungry. My mom and I always go to Luke's for breakfast on Saturday morning."

"Didn't we just go there last night?" He asked her, sleepily.

"Yes, but that was for dinner. This is breakfast. Now hurry up. I hear my mom upstairs getting ready, so you better hurry if you wanted to take a shower before breakfast."

Tristan sat up and scratched his bare chest and caught Rory looking at him and he gave her a smirk. She blushed a beautiful crimson color and quickly averted her eyes. Rory couldn't believe how brazen Tristan was. He knew he was making her uncomfortable standing there with his bare chest and basketball shorts, and he made it a million times more uncomfortable with that little smirk of his. She couldn't help but notice how nice he looked without a shirt. Tristan ran his hand through his messy blonde hair and headed to the bathroom.

While he was in the shower, Lorelai ran downstairs to borrow a top from Rory.

"So how's it going with Bible Boy?" Lorelai asked while wriggling her eyebrows, suggestively.

"Oh Mom, it's not like that. We're just friends, and building our friendship is going very well. After breakfast, we're going to the bookstore, and then we're going to study this afternoon. You have to work today, right?"

"Yes," Lorelai said, pouting, "I hate working on Saturdays, but the McArthur wedding is next weekend, and there is so much to do to prepare. Are you sure you two will be alright all alone here?"

"Yes, Mom. You can trust me. I swear on The Bangles that we will behave ourselves while you are away at work," Rory said in mock-seriousness.

"Oh, well if you're swearing on The Bangles, then I know I can trust you," Lorelai deadpanned right back.

Rory tried very hard to convince herself that their current "just friends" status was exactly what she wanted. She did not need a boyfriend right now, and even if she did, Tristan was not first boyfriend material. He was a bit of a man-whore, or so she had heard. Not that she was judging… but his experience was definitely intimidating to her non-experience. She had never even kissed a boy let alone anything else. Her mother had always been honest about sex, and she had seen plenty of sex scenes in movies, but she still couldn't imagine actually doing it. Rory was a pretty private person for the most part. She preferred reading about adventures rather than having them, and she could not imagine getting close to a boy in that way. Maybe it had something to do with her dad. He was never around, and it really hurt, sometimes. Why didn't he want her? Why couldn't he grow up and get his life together for her? Wasn't she worth it.

Before Rory could dwell on these unpleasant thoughts any further, Tristan came out of the bathroom wearing jeans and a white polo shirt. The white shirt made his tan skin stand out, and he had already arranged his blonde hair in its' usual disarrayed fashion. Tristan grabbed his wallet and keys and the three of them headed out the door and walked the two blocks to Lukes' Diner. They ate a pretty low-key breakfast and Lorelai headed off to work. After they finished eating, Rory took Tristan to the bookstore.

"I could spend hours here," Rory said. "I love to read, and I especially love old books."

Rory pulled one off the shelf, opened it, and inhaled.

"You have to smell this," she said and pushed the book into Tristan's face.

"You are very odd, do you know that?"

"Odd? Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?"

"It's definitely a good thing. I've never met a girl like you, Rory. Most girls are so into their hair and makeup that that's all they ever talk about. It's refreshing to hang out with you. Thanks for inviting me over this weekend. It's been really fun."

"You're welcome, Tristan. I like hanging out with you, too. Why are you so different when we're alone?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, you are so nice to me here, but at Chilton, well, you're kind of a jerk."

"Wow… way to sugar-coat it."

"That was sugar-coating it," Rory said with a grin.

"I guess I just act like everybody else does. I never thought about it."

"Well, maybe you should. John F. Kennedy said, 'Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.'"

"Did you seriously just quote Kennedy to me?" Tristan asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, so what?"

"So, you just proved my point. You are very odd. Name one other 16 year old girl that quotes dead presidents."

"Paris Gellar," Rory answered, immediately.

"Like I said, odd. Paris doesn't count as a teenager. She was born a middle-aged woman with obsessive compulsive disorder."

"That's not very nice," Rory said, disapprovingly.

"I didn't think you would mind. She isn't very nice to you."

"I know, and I still don't know why."

"It's because you threaten her. She has always been a shoe-in for valedictorian, and then here you come along. Someone that is just as smart as her, but also someone that people actually like. She is clearly intimidated by you, which is quite a feat. I've known Paris Gellar since Kindergarten, and she has never hated anyone as much as she hates you, so I know you have to be one hell of a threat."

"You've got to be kidding me. I'm drowning! How can she be threatened of me. She's been in private school her entire life. I've been at Chilton for five minutes and I am failing left and right. Last night was the first night I went to sleep without studying, and I feel insanely guilty about it. I am behind in every subject."

"Rory, you should have told me. We can go study. I need to work on stuff, too. I can help you catch up if you want. I'm not the greatest student in the world, but I currently have an A in every class."

"Really? You?"

"Wow, you do not think very highly of me, do you?" Tristan said with a laugh.

Rory blushed and tried to backpedal, but Tristan interrupted her stammers.

"It's okay, Rory. I know I don't come across as the smartest guy. I think it's part of the whole conformity thing. I get good grades, but that's not exactly the type of thing I want to brag about."

This boy was such an enigma to Rory. He seemed to be this promiscuous party boy, but he was actually really smart, and he seemingly didn't have a great home-life. She couldn't believe how real he was being with her, and she would be forever grateful for his help in the school department. Maybe he could help her get caught up, and she could breathe again. That would be nice.

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait… My husband and I just bought a house, so I've been pretty busy packing and getting ready to move. I hope you liked this chapter! Please review… I love to hear your feedback!


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